Beautiful light green arugula, a sweet molasses sauce over the pork, almonds for a crunch, and apples for sweetness and texture. But the crown jewel of it all? The bacon dressing! With the addition of pork, this salad need not be just an appetizer but the main course in itself. Both salty and sweet, this recipe is sure to have you reaching for more and more.
While thumbing through one of my French cookbooks a while back, I stumbled upon a recipe for bacon dressing. Having never tasted something like it before, and thinking everyone likes bacon, I’ve developed a wonderful recipe for you to try out! The dressing recipe was bare-bones, and it’d be hard to call it a recipe. It truly only consisted of a ratio of bacon fat to vinegar. Not what kind of vinegar, not how much sugar, and no method. So, I set out to make one myself.
I first wanted to make a salad, which I did, but I stumbled upon a fantastic marinade for the Pork. I wanted everything to tie together with the Pork when developing this recipe. So I used apples, bacon dressing, apple cider vinegar, and almonds to make the pork a focal point.
Very simple and involves just three ingredients, plus salt and pepper, the marinade, if you will, is stunning. Tasted alone, the marinade is bitter, not something I would want to eat. But with the pork cooked in a Dutch oven, the pork becomes sweet with hints of ginger, garlic, and molasses. I didn't have a recipe or ratios to cross-reference, but I placed items in my pestle and mortar, ground it up, and perfection was born!
When I made this recipe, I was focused on the salad, but the Pork became a celebration of itself. I made it for numerous people in testing this recipe, and each loved the Pork. You don't need to combine it with a salad; make the Pork from the recipe, then pair it with potatoes such as Potatoes Lyonnaise.
You can even cook the Pork using Sous Vide for even more flavor and to ensure it's done perfectly!
If going for the whole salad, we even have a wine pairing to go with it. Our expert sommelier has suggested Saladini Pilastri Pecorino. This Italian wine has beautiful crisp peach notes to pair with the apples, an earthiness to pair with the arugula, and a smokiness to pair wonderfully with the bacon dressing.
We hope you enjoy this recipe and its wine pairing as much as we do. Its mouthwatering heaven all comes down to its simplicity.
Cheers
Chef Olson
"The Flying Chef"
Pork & Bacon Dressing Salad
Yield: ~4 Servings
Prep Time: ~20 Minutes Inactive Time: ~45 Hours Total Time: ~1 Hours 5 Minutes
Pork Ingredients
1. 4 Garlic Cloves Minced
2. 1 tsp Ginger Minced
3. 4 tbsp Molasses
4. 1 Pork Tenderloin (1.5lb)
5. Salt & Pepper
5. 1-4 tbsp Butter
Dressing Ingredients
1. 8 Strips Fatty Bacon Finely Diced
2. 1/8th Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
3. Pepper
4. 2 tbsp Honey
Salad Ingredients
1. 1 Honeycrisp Apple Thinly Sliced
2. 1/4th Cup Sliced Almonds
3. 3 Radish Thinly Sliced
4. 6 Cups Arugula (Roughly)
Guide
1. In a Pestle and Mortar, Combine the garlic, ginger, and molasses and grind to a paste. Season the pork with salt and pepper and rub the paste upon it.
If using Sous Vide: Cook at 150.5 Degrees Fahrenheit for 1 Hour. Remove from the bag and pat dry. Gently sear on a cast iron pan with a tablespoon of butter to add color. Cover the pork in tinfoil and reserve until needed.
If cooking in a pan: Add four tablespoons of butter over medium heat and cook in a Dutch Oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan until done. The internal temperature should be 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover the pork in tinfoil and reserve until needed.
2. In a heavy bottom saucepan or Dutch Oven, add the Bacon and cook over medium heat until the Bacon is crispy and the fat is no longer seen on the bacon. Drain the bacon fat back into the pan and reserve the crispy bacon. Add the apple cider vinegar, honey, and pepper. Cook and stir until combined.
3. Arrange the arugula, sliced almonds, apple, radish, and crispy bacon in your serving dish or plate. Cut the pork into slices and arrange on top of the salad. Pour over your still-warm Bacon Dressing.
4. This salad is best presented on individual serving dishes rather than one large one.
Recipe By: Chef Olson Thewoodenspoonchefs.com
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Chef Notes
You can also toast the Sliced Almonds in a frying pan or in the oven for extra flavor.
If you leave the dressing to sit too long the Vinegar and Oil will separate. You’ll need to whisk it to reemulsify it.